Renewal
by Progeny Ex Machina
Summary: After Snaff's death, Zojja lost her drive. What goaded her back onto her feet? Perhaps a not-so-friendly visit from an old rival.


**A/N:** Well, this fic went in a very different direction than I thought it would. It's also a bit unpolished, and somewhat OOC (though I blame the fact that it's five years pre-SE/CoE). Your Mad King says to enjoy it anyway.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned GW2, I'd bring Kudu back. And Snaff. And the mentors. And basically everyone else.

* * *

The only sound that could be heard in the lab was the rhythmic tap of a writing utensil against a table. Zojja stood at Snaff's workstation - no..._her_ workstation - and stared at a half-finished sheet of diagrams. Normally, the algorithms just clicked together in her brain like so many parts in a golem, everything falling into its place; but right now the lines and numbers barely had a chance to register before they were swallowed up in a nihilistic fog.

Destiny's Edge had broken apart. Perhaps it was better that way; she wasn't quite sure what had convinced her those idiots were worth her time in the first place. _And with Eir at the controls, we all would have ended up dead sooner or later,_ she thought bitterly. Kralkatorrik, the Elder Crystal Dragon, still lived; it had escaped their grasp with seconds to spare, and roamed free to...do whatever it was massive genocidal entities did in their spare time. Zojja didn't care about that. As far as she was concerned, it had already done all the damage it could.

No, the only thing that mattered was Snaff. He was gone, and he wasn't coming back. Zojja hadn't realized how much she needed him, and even now she was loath to admit it, but for so long, he had been her entire world. It was his tutelage that drew out her genius. It was his approval that built up her confidence. Yes, he really grated her nerves sometimes, and she had forgotten...but at the end of the day, she wasn't quite sure how to go on without him. And she wasn't so certain it even mattered.

Her desolate spiral was rudely interrupted when she heard someone enter the lab. "Go away," she mustered.

"Why, Zojja, is that any way to treat your better?" came the lofty voice, instantly familiar. Zojja groaned inwardly. He was the last person she wanted to deal with at the moment. Or ever, really, unless it involved physical violence.

Still not turning around, she sighed, "What do you want, Kudu?"

"Lacking in wit, as always," Kudu replied. Despite the finely-cultivated neutral expression he wore on his face, there was always a hint of a smirk in his voice. "Where's our master today? Did he finally decide you were worthless even compared to him?"

Zojja spun around, hackles raised. "Snaff was _not_ worthless," she hissed.

Kudu's eyes narrowed. "Was?"

Realizing what she had just said, Zojja paused. "Not that it's any of your business, but yes, '_was_' is correct."

"Of course it's my business!" Kudu snapped, surprising both Zojja and himself. Trying to regain his composure, he hastily appended, "Or...has the fact that I was his apprentice first slipped your mind? I wouldn't be surprised. You were always lousy with facts."

Zojja, however, was not going to let herself be distracted by uninspired insults. "Well, if it's facts you want, let me give you a few. Snaff was your master...once. But you weren't worthy of him. It did take him a while to see you for the sadistic vermin you are, but...we all make mistakes," she said airily. Each taunting word she directed at Kudu seemed to vitalize her, and her voice grew bolder as she continued. "So when he caught you cutting apart living sentient beings and calling it 'progress', he threw you aside like last project's scrap metal. You meant nothing to him. Why should he mean anything to you?"

The tips of Kudu's ears were twitching like a skritt without its shiny. "As usual, you have no idea what you're talking about," he gritted out. "If you're done throwing unsubstantiated hypotheses at me-"

"Unsubstantiated?" The corner of Zojja's mouth slid up. "He said it himself."

"So you're resorting to lies," Kudu said, clenching his fists.

"Now who's hypothesizing?" Zojja stuck her nose in the air, daring him to argue, still with that maddening smirk on her face. Normally Kudu would have seen it as a sign of her childish arrogance, hardly worth notice...but this time, _somehow_, the little brat was managing to get under his skin.

"Snaff didn't recognize my genius," he said stiffly. "He was a fool. Bound by morals and ethics. What good are they?"

"Well-"

"I'm not done, you twit," Kudu snarled. "His _morals_ and _ethics_ blinded him to the future. I didn't need his help to unlock my true potential. He should have been proud to find out what I'd done. But he didn't see what I saw. He said I was 'lost', yet I discovered how to achieve results beyond anything he could have dreamed of. And then he had the _audacity_ to act like he still _cared_ about me, but then _you_ came along-" He stopped short. That certainly wasn't what he was expecting to say. _Dammit, Kudu. You are a genius. She is a petulant child. Regain control of yourself at once._

Zojja was looking decidedly unimpressed. "So you're throwing a fit because he liked me better," she remarked. "Well, maybe that's because you're a psychopath and I'm a prodigy. Maybe he was deluded for a while, but he learned. You weren't worthy of him. And he really did tell me about you." She smiled coldly. "In his eyes, you were nothing but a miserable failure." Then, as an afterthought: "I'm inclined to agree with his assessment."

"For the last time, _shut up_! You...you have no right!" Kudu took a deep breath, reared up to his full height, and forced himself to look directly into Zojja's mocking eyes. "At least Snaff was good for something! What are you good for? You're just sitting around regretting things! You haven't _done_ anything since he died! You're the one who isn't worthy," he growled. "I'll become greater than Snaff ever was. Enjoy wallowing in obscurity." And with that, he turned on his heel and stormed out without looking back.

Zojja stared after him. The adrenaline of having the upper hand against her greatest enemy was fading away, leaving behind a pit in her stomach. It wasn't that Kudu was _right_, per se; it was just that he had happened to say something that was correct. Yes, it was true that she hadn't done much to further her own reputation. Thanks to Destiny's Edge, she was already quite well-known, but that was mainly for her skills in battle; would it not be more beneficial to be known for her scientific pursuits? But what bothered her more was the idea of Kudu surpassing her. She hated to admit it, but if she allowed herself to stagnate, he might actually be able to outpace her. That was something she could not condone.

She didn't know what kinds of diabolical plans Kudu had in store for her master's work, but one thing was for certain: it was up to her to stop it. She was the only one who knew what it meant, the only one who understood what was at stake. And she would _never_ let him tarnish Snaff's legacy.

Looking again at the sheet of diagrams resting on her workstation, she felt satisfied that her brain was processing them at maximum efficiency.


End file.
